Critics question size, cost of proposed second stadium in Katy ISD

Updated 11:50 am, Tuesday, October 29, 2013

A 14,000-seat stadium is one item in the Nov. 5 Katy Independent School District bond election.

A 14,000-seat stadium is one item in the Nov. 5 Katy Independent School District bond election.

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A 14,000-seat stadium is one item in the Nov. 5 Katy Independent School District bond election. See how it stacks up against the top high school football stadiums in Texas.

A 14,000-seat stadium is one item in the Nov. 5 Katy Independent School District bond election. See how it stacks up against the top high school football stadiums in Texas.

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Check out the largest high school stadiums

Alamo Stadium: The San Antonio stadium is the largest high school football stadium in the state of Texas. The stadium can seat 23,000 people.

Check out the largest high school stadiums

Alamo Stadium: The San Antonio stadium is the largest high school football stadium in the state of Texas. The stadium can seat 23,000 people.

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Pizza Hut Park: The stadium in Frisco doubles as a venue for soccer and high school football, and it can seat 21,193 people on game day.

Pizza Hut Park: The stadium in Frisco doubles as a venue for soccer and high school football, and it can seat 21,193 people on game day.

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Mesquite Memorial Stadium: The stadium outside of Dallas can seat 20,000 people on Friday nights and is the third largest stadium.

Mesquite Memorial Stadium: The stadium outside of Dallas can seat 20,000 people on Friday nights and is the third largest stadium.

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Ratliff Stadium: Odessa is well-known for their love of high school football, and it's no surprise the city has one of the largest high school stadiums. The stadium can seat 19,302.

Ratliff Stadium: Odessa is well-known for their love of high school football, and it's no surprise the city has one of the largest high school stadiums. The stadium can seat 19,302.

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Farrington Field: The Fort Worth stadium is among the oldest in the state of Texas, but it still has plenty of seating capacity. The stadium can seat 18,500 people.

Farrington Field: The Fort Worth stadium is among the oldest in the state of Texas, but it still has plenty of seating capacity. The stadium can seat 18,500 people.

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Allen Stadium: The new $60 million stadium might make some Texans shake their heads in disbelief, but regardless of the money, it ranks fifth among the largest high school stadiums. It can seat 18,000 people.

Allen Stadium: The new $60 million stadium might make some Texans shake their heads in disbelief, but regardless of the money, it ranks fifth among the largest high school stadiums. It can seat 18,000 people.

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Buccaneer Stadium: The Corpus Christi stadium can seat 18,000 people on game day.

Buccaneer Stadium: The Corpus Christi stadium can seat 18,000 people on game day.

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San Angelo Stadium: The stadium is among the state's first bowl stadiums, and it seats 17,500 people. It was original built in 1956.

San Angelo Stadium: The stadium is among the state's first bowl stadiums, and it seats 17,500 people. It was original built in 1956.

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Veteran's Memorial Stadium: The Pasadena stadium can seat 16,800 and ranks ninth among the largest high school stadiums.

Veteran's Memorial Stadium: The Pasadena stadium can seat 16,800 and ranks ninth among the largest high school stadiums.

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Stallworth Stadium: The Baytown stadium can seat 16,500 people on Friday nights, making it the state's 10th largest stadium.

Stallworth Stadium: The Baytown stadium can seat 16,500 people on Friday nights, making it the state's 10th largest stadium.

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Critics question size, cost of proposed second stadium in Katy ISD

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Critics of a bond referendum that would include funding for a 14,000-seat, $69.5 million football stadium in Katy Independent School District say the measure is "grossly excessive" and does not give voters a choice of projects.

Cyndi Lawrence, president of an anti-tax group called Katy Libertea, said her members do not oppose all of the projects in the $99 million bond package, which includes $25 million to expand the Gerald D. Young Agricultural Sciences Center and $4.5 million for a new science, technology, engineering and math center.

"They are coming at us with a $99 million bond that is all or nothing," Lawrence said. "Some of us support the STEM Center and the agricultural facilities but we feel that $69 million is way outlandish for a football stadium."

An anti-bond PAC called Put Katy Kids First has registered with the state to oppose the bond, according to Katy Libertea member Darcy Kahrhoff.

If the bond is approved on Nov. 5, the new stadium would be built north of Rhodes Stadium, at 1733 Katyland Drive, on 58 acres owned by the district.

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Bond supporters and district officials say as enrollment increases, it is crucial that facilities for student activities keep pace with the growth and with the opening of Tompkins High School, a second stadium is needed to meet the challenge of scheduling seven teams and to comply with University Interscholastic League rules.

"We are the only school district in Texas with seven high schools to play (football) in one stadium," said John Eberlan, who served on a district design committee for the stadium. "We would have to have a game on Thursday, one on Friday and two on Saturday to satisfy the weekly requirement."

District chief operations officer Tom Gunnell said a second stadium, to be designed by PBK Architects, would be a multipurpose facility that would provide additional opportunities for student events such as marching contests, soccer games or other activities.

Education advocate and longtime district critic George Scott, who said he supports building a second competitive stadium at a reasonable cost, said the district has taken a cynical approach in structuring the bond in an all-or-nothing package.

"It is not necessary to spend $69 million to resolve the needs of the growing number of high schools in the district," Scott said. "We do not need a 14,000-seat stadium to meet the needs of the district's football program."

Eberlan, who also served on a bond committee for the bond package, said the overwhelming response of the committee was to choose the 14,000-seat facility when presented with the options and the minimal differences in price compared to one with 12,000 or 13,000 seats.

Capacity issue

According to district data, Scott said the capacity issue at Rhodes Stadium has not been a problem in 41 games between Aug. 31, 2012 and Sept. 28, 2013 with a few exceptions.

District data shows that with the exception of about a half dozen games involving Katy or Cinco Ranch high schools, attendance at Rhodes did not exceed the stated capacity of 9,840.

On Oct. 19, 2012, the total attendance reached 9,746 in a match-up between Seven Lakes and Katy high schools.

Attendance peaked at 6,171 for Katy High School in a match-up with Taylor High on Oct. 12, 2012. On Sept, 13, 2012 in a game featuring Morton Ranch and Hastings high schools, the total attendance was 2,896.

Included in these figures is the district's allocation of 1,000 seats each for the visitor and home team bands, drill teams and color guards.

District officials say a design committee composed of members of the community determined that the new stadium should contain more seats than Rhodes to accommodate playoff games and to meet future needs.

School district spokesman Steve Stanford said the district uses Tully, Rice and Reliant stadiums during second-round playoff games.

Scott said based on interviews with those in the construction business, reputable contractors have told him that a state-of-the-art stadium could be built for $30 million, but it would not have all the "cotton candy" that Katy ISD wants to include in its proposal such as a banquet room, office space for athletic administrators and other "extravagant" features.

"This district does not have an ounce of financial discipline," Scott said. "When there is an opportunity to save a buck, why choose to go the whole hog way?"

Citing a new 18,000-seat, $60 million stadium, which did not include costs for parking infrastructure or a field house that opened in Allen Independent School District in 2012, school officials say the Katy ISD project is in line with the cost of recent stadiums built in Texas.

Lawrence also protests the wording on the ballot which she feels deceives voters in stating the bond is "for the construction, acquisition and equipment of school buildings in the district and the purchase of the necessary sites for school buildings…"

"There is no mention of a $69 million football stadium," Lawrence said.

Stanford said the ballot language is standard for this type of measure and is approved by county election officials before it is placed on the ballot.

"It is similar to the language the district has used for previous bond measures," he said.

According to district records, a political action committee called SAFE for Kids (Student Activity Facilities Expansion) has formed to support the bond.

Other local elections

Voters in Fort Bend County will also decide Nov. 5 on a $184.9 million mobility bond for road improvements which will fund more than 60 projects in four precincts.

Voters in Harris County will get a chance to save the Astrodome by approving up to $217 million to convert the structure to a convention hall/exhibit space and to vote on a $70 million proposition to build an adult detention central joint processing center.